A group of enthusiasts of the decommissioned aircraft known as The Concorde Club have amassed £160million to give the supersonic passenger jet a new lease of life.

A tentative date of 2019 has been put forward for the first flight - 50 years after its maiden journey.

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The final flight took place in 2003 when Concorde landed at Heathrow Airport from New York

THE HISTORY OF CONCORDE

Concorde was jointly developed and produced by British and French engineers as part of an Anglo-French treaty.

It had a take off speed of 220 knots (250mph) and a cruising speed of 1350mph - more than twice the speed of sound.

A typical London to New York crossing would take a little less than three-and-a-half hours, as opposed to the normal eight hours.

A total of 20 aircraft were built in France and the United Kingdom. Six of these were prototypes and development aircraft.

The remaining 14 were split between Air France and British Airways.

Concorde was the most tested aircraft, having undergone 5,000 hours before it was allowed to carry passengers.

It was first flown in 1969, and first entered service in 1976. It carried commercial passengers for 27 years.

The aircraft's four Rolls Royce engines used 'reheat' technology, which gave it the extra power for take-off and supersonic flight.

According to British Airways Concorde's fastest transatlantic crossing took place on February 7, 1996, when it traveled from New York to London in just two hours and 52 minutes and 59 seconds.

Both Air France and British Airways grounded their fleets for more than a year after 113 people were killed when one of the jets crashed minutes after take off from Paris in July 2000.

It was completely retired from service in 2003.

Two projects are being planned that the group hope to finalise prior to the first flight in 2019.

The 'London Project, scheduled to be completed by the end of 2016, will see a Concorde on display on a platform on the Thames.

There will be a restaurant on board, and with a plan to charge visitors £16 per head, it is hoped the funding can help with the second project.

The 'Paris Project' would see a Concorde from Le Bourget airport in Paris, with a redesigned interior and exterior, uses for charter flights as well as for functions and fly-pasts.

Writing on the group's website, club president Paul James said: 'We are in the process of compiling a new business plan based solely on a Return to Flight project.

'Since November 26, 2003, this has been the dream of the global Concorde fraternity. We toyed with the idea years ago but quickly realised that the only way sufficient finance would be forthcoming was by proving to potential investors that we as a group could create a less ambitious but commercially viable Concorde project.'

He added: 'Now that money is no longer the problem it's over to those who can help us make it happen, without financial risk to themselves. This is where the global Concorde fraternity must keep up the pressure, as time is running out.'

Construction of two prototypes began in February 1965: 001, built by Aerospatiale at Toulouse, and 002, by BAC at Filton, Bristol.

Concorde 001 made its first test flight from Toulouse on March 2, 1969, piloted by André Turcat, and first went supersonic on 1 October.

The first UK-built Concorde flew from Filton to RAF Fairford on 9 April, 1969, piloted by Brian Trubshaw.

Both prototypes were presented to the public for the first time on June 7, 1969 at the Paris Air Show.

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As the flight programme progressed, 001 embarked on a sales and demonstration tour on September 4, 1971, which was also the first transatlantic crossing for Concorde.

Both Air France and British Airways grounded their fleets for more than a year after 113 people were killed when one of the jets crashed minutes after take off from Paris in July 2000.

On April 10, 2003, Air France and British Airways simultaneously announced that they would retire Concorde.

They cited low passenger numbers, the slump in air travel following the September 11 attacks, and rising maintenance costs.

The final flight landed at Heathrow Airport from New York on November 26, 2003.

The iconic Concorde could be making a return to the skies - as a charter flight

LONDON TO NEW YORK IN ONE HOUR: AIRBUS FILES PATENT FOR JET MORE THAN TWICE AS FAST AS CONCORDE

A flight from London to New York could take just one hour if Airbus has its way.

The aerospace manufacturer is designing a hypersonic jet that it hopes will take people between the two major cities faster than most daily commutes.

The US Patent and Trademark Office recently approved an application from Airbus for the new jet, which it says will travel at 4.5 times the speed of sound.

Business Insider points out that this is a major improvement on the 3.5 hours it took for the now Mach 2 Concorde to make the same trip.

The jet is described as 'an air vehicle including a fuselage, a gothic delta wing distributed on either side of the fuselage, and a system of motors able to propel the air vehicle.'

Air Force bosses recently revealed they hope to have hypersonic missiles capable of crossing countries in minutes within five years. Pictured is an artist's impression of what a vehicle capable of this would look like

The patent describes how three different types of engine, powered by different forms of hydrogen, would work together to propel the vehicle at speeds of 3,425mph (5,500km/h).

Two turbo jets would allow the aircraft to climb vertically at take-off, before retracting into the fuselage just before it reaches the speed of sound.

A rocket motor would take it to an altitude of 100,000ft (30,000 metres). The wing-mounted ramjets would then take control to push the jet to its final speed.

Airbus says it has designed the craft's aerodynamics to limit sonic boom, which was a major problem for Concorde when it flew over land.

Passengers on the aircraft will be limited to 20.

'In the case of civil applications, the market envisaged is principally that of business travel and VIP passengers, who require transcontinental return journeys within one day,' the patent states.

Airbus thinks the jet would be able to complete trips such as Tokyo to Los Angeles in just three hours.

The aircraft manufacturer says the hypersonic jet could also be for military applications, working to transport soldiers at rapid speeds.